sous

/su/

preposition #296 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

under, beneath

Examples

paillasson .

The keys had been hidden under the doormat for months.

semaines plaindre.

He has been working under pressure for several weeks without complaining.

pluie battante, couru ' l'abri .

In the pouring rain, they ran to the nearest shelter.

Sous exprime la position inférieure (physically under) et divers rapports figurés : la cause (sous l'effet de), la condition (sous condition), la dépendance hiérarchique (sous les ordres de), la période temporelle (sous la pluie, sous Louis XIV). Sa variété d'emplois le rend indispensable.

Sous peu (shortly, before long) et sous main ou sous peine de (on pain of, under penalty of) illustrent les emplois figurés. En sous-main (behind the scenes, covertly) et sous-entendu (implied, implicit) sont des composés courants. Sous les yeux de (in front of, in the presence of) et sous prétexte de (under the pretext of) sont des locutions prépositionnelles fréquentes.

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This word is part of lesson 6.

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